Electronic apparatus, method of controlling electronic apparatus and control device for controlling electronic apparatus based on calculated flow rate

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes: a flowpath through which a liquid flows; a heat-generating body that is cooled by the liquid; a liquid temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the liquid; a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the heat-generating body; a heat generation amount measuring device that measures a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body; a storage apparatus that stores information representing a relationship between a temperature of the liquid, a temperature of the heat-generating body, a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body, and a flow rate of the liquid; and a processing apparatus that calculates the flow rate of liquid from the temperature of the liquid measured by the liquid temperature measuring device, the temperature of the heat-generating body measured by the temperature measuring device, and the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body based on information inside the storage apparatus.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic apparatus comprising:
 a flowpath through which a liquid flows; 
 a heat-generating body that is cooled by the liquid; 
 a first temperature detector that measures a temperature of the liquid; 
 a second temperature detector that measures a temperature of the heat-generating body; 
 a power meter that measures a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body; 
 a storage that stores relationship information representing a relationship between a temperature of the liquid, a temperature of the heat-generating body, a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body, and a flow rate of the liquid; and 
 a processor configured to:
 calculate the flow rate of the liquid according to the temperature of the liquid, the temperature of the heat-generating body, and the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body based on the relationship information stored in the storage, and 
 control the electronic apparatus based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating body is an electronic component whose heat generation amount changes during operation thereof. 
     
     
       3. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the heat-generating body transmits a heat generation amount increase request to the processor when the heat generation amount will increase from a current state, and 
 the processor, upon receiving the heat generation amount increase request from the heat-generating body, calculates a temperature of the heat-generating body after the heat generation amount increase based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid and the relationship information in the storage and determines whether to allow the heat generation amount increase based on a relationship between the calculated temperature of the heat-generating body after the heat generation amount increase and a certain threshold. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising
 a pump that is provided in the flowpath and whose output may be changed, 
 wherein the processor, upon receiving the heat generation amount increase request from the heat-generating body, increases the output of the pump and calculates the flow rate of the liquid after the increase in the output of the pump. 
 
     
     
       5. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising
 a heat exchanger that is provided in the flowpath and whose heat exchange performance may be changed, 
 wherein the processor, upon receiving the heat generation amount increase request from the heat-generating body increases the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger and calculates the temperature of the heat-generating body after the heat generation amount increase after the increase in the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       6. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising
 a pump that is provided in the flowpath and whose output may be changed, 
 wherein, when the heat generation amount has decreased from a current state, the heat-generating body transmits a report stating that the heat generation amount has decreased to the processor, and 
 the processor, upon receiving the report from the heat-generating body, decides upon a decrease amount for the output of the pump based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid and the relationship information inside the storage. 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising
 a heat exchanger that is provided in the flowpath and whose heat exchange performance may be changed, 
 wherein, when the heat generation amount has decreased from a current state, the heat-generating body transmits a report stating that the heat generation amount has decreased to the processor, and 
 the processor, upon receiving the report from the heat-generating body, decides upon a decrease amount for the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid and the relationship information inside the storage. 
 
     
     
       8. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the relationship includes a relationship in which the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body is a first heat generation amount and a relationship in which the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body is a second heat generation amount that is different from the first heat generation amount. 
     
     
       9. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a pump that is provided in the flowpath and whose output may be changed, 
 wherein the processor changes the output of the pump based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid. 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a heat exchanger that is provided in the flowpath and whose heat exchange performance may be changed, 
 wherein the processor changes the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid. 
 
     
     
       11. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a heat exchanger provided in the flowpath, 
 wherein the first temperature detector measures the temperature of the liquid downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of the heat-generating body. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a pump that is provided in the flowpath and whose output may be changed, 
 wherein the storage stores second relationship information indicating a relationship between the output of the pump and the flow rate of the liquid, and 
 the processor determines a presence of a flow rate decrease due to an abnormality from a relationship between a calculated flow rate of the liquid and a measured value representing an output of the pump based on the second relationship information. 
 
     
     
       13. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the relationship information indicating the relationship is table information. 
     
     
       14. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the relationship includes a relationship in which the flow rate of the liquid is a first flow rate and a relationship in which the flow rate of the liquid is a second flow rate different from the first flow rate. 
     
     
       15. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the relationship includes a relationship in which the temperature of the liquid is a first temperature and a relationship in which the temperature of the liquid is a second temperature that is different from the first temperature. 
     
     
       16. The electronic apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the relationship includes a relationship in which the temperature of the heat-generating body is a first temperature and a relationship in which the temperature of the heat-generating body is a second temperature that is different from the first temperature. 
     
     
       17. A method of controlling an electronic apparatus, comprising:
 measuring a temperature of a liquid flowing inside a flowpath that passes through the electronic apparatus using a first temperature detector; 
 measuring a temperature of a heat-generating body that is cooled by the liquid using a second temperature detector; 
 measuring a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body using a power meter; 
 calculating, by a processor, a flow rate of the liquid according to the measured temperature of the liquid, the measured temperature of the heat-generating body, and the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body based on information stored in a storage that stores the relationship information representing a relationship between a temperature of the liquid, a temperature of the heat-generating body, a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body, and a flow rate of the liquid, and 
 controlling the electronic apparatus based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid. 
 
     
     
       18. A control device comprising:
 circuitry configured to:
 acquire a temperature of a liquid flowing inside a flowpath that passes through an electronic apparatus from a first temperature detector, 
 acquire a temperature of a heat-generating body that is cooled by the liquid from a second temperature detector, 
 acquire a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body from a power meter, 
 calculate a flow rate of the liquid according to the temperature of the liquid, the temperature of the heat-generating body, and the heat generation amount of the heat-generating body based on information stored in a storage that stores relationship information representing a relationship between a temperature of the liquid, a temperature of the heat-generating body, a heat generation amount of the heat-generating body, and a flow rate of the liquid, and 
 control the electronic apparatus based on the calculated flow rate of the liquid.